THE HOLIDAY SERIES

It is my favorite time of the year and I decided to veer away from my usual travel series with an exclusive holiday series feature. Put in together some coffee, glitters, painted socks and a few sweaters, you're all set for a good day of singing (and dancing) to Michael Buble's Christmas tracks on Spotify. 

It is a few days before Christmas and while everyone is out doing some last minute gift shopping, I'm happily stuck at home trying to find ways to give myself a feel of the Christmas spirit after a taxing semester in medical school. Luckily for me, all of my best friends are also back in town to celebrate the holidays with their families (and some of them joined me in the holiday series). 

Christmas in the province is probably the most relaxing experience for me. I love my hometown and the endless views of the bay and the city from our balcony. It is a good reason to eat Iligan lechon and stock up on holiday hams without feeling guilty because everyone else is doing it. Unlike the busy metropolis, our holidays are relatively traffic-less and instead of dining out, we spend Christmas dinners with home-cooked meals and some karaoke. Usually, my cousins and I stay up late while our parents doze off before midnight. It's a tradition every year, and I think I've gotten used to the fact that each year, we spend Noche Buena earlier than the usual. We used to have some sort of what we called the "Biba!" wherein our grandparents would throw coins and we would try to catch them, but ever since my grandparents have gotten older, our Noche Buena evenings have turned into wine nights (I know, we have gotten more adult by the year). But these are probably the nights I yearn for since it's a chance to bond over childhood stories and make up for lost time since all of us spend the rest of the year in Manila (like me). Christmas is usually the holiday that everyone in the family is complete and that's one of the things I love about Christmas.

Aside from the exchanging of gifts, it's also an exchange of quality time. Speaking of gifts, if you still haven't completed your list, it would be nice to give them a box of cookies or chocolates if you still have no idea what to give them. That's what I did last year, and it went perfectly well. Find a good container, usually I go for a can-shaped glass, so they can use the glass for milk (cookies and milk go perfectly well together). Or if you want to make it more personal, write them a Christmas greeting card. 

Some of the brands we are wearing:

On Ian (that's me): 

Copper, Juicy Couture, H&M, Forever 21

On Marlon: 

Aeropostale

On Audrey: 

Zara TRF, HouseofChokers

Shot with Fujifilm XA-2

Starting this blog was probably one of my highlights this year, and to all my readers, I wish all of you a MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS! I promise that I will be sharing more in the coming year.

Sending my love and Christmas cheers,
Ian S